New child alert over obesity

The health of an entire generation is under threat from soaring levels of obesity, new figures have revealed.

Among six-year-olds, one in ten is classed as obese.

And among 15-year-olds the figure rises to almost one in five.

The number of children with serious weight problems is at an all-time high.

Experts say the figures are an indictment of today's 'couch-potato' lifestyles and diets laden with fat and sugar.

These children are at risk of illnesses including diabetes, heart disease and cancer later in life.

Government health advisers yesterday issued unprecedented guidance to parents on how to keep their children's weight at a healthy level.

Families are being warned that if they live on junk food and high-fat convenience meals, their children run the risk of growing up obese.

A review of scientific studies by the Health Development Agency found a whole family must be committed to healthy eating and physical activity so children's weight can be controlled.

Basic measures such as advice in schools on nutrition, a return to home cooking, walking to school and active play are being pushed in the hope of luring children away from junk food and computer games.

Professor Mike Kelly, the agency's director of research and information, said: 'We live in an "obesogenic" environment - a plethora of fast food outlets, reliance on cars, and offers enticing us to eat larger portion sizes all contribute to the problem.'

Dame Yve Buckland, chairman of the development agency, which promotes public health and wellbeing, said: 'Obesity is a timebomb.

'The myriad of child-focused food advertising is a real challenge but parents can fight back. After all, it's them paying at the checkout, not the children.

'The good news is that the evidence shows parents can successfully treat their child's obesity by actively changing the whole family's approach to diet and physical activity and by avoiding couch potato lifestyles.'

Doctors and nutritionists have witnessed growing numbers of children suffering weight problems which create emotional as well as physical difficulties.

The latest figures, released by the agency, show 70,000 six-year-olds - 10 per cent of the total - are obese, as are 18 per cent of 15-year-olds - another 140,000 youngsters.

Just two years ago, the rate of obesity among six-year-olds stood at 8.5 per cent and among 15-year-olds, at 15 per cent.

Obesity in British children has doubled in two decades, while among adults it has almost tripled.

The cost to the Health Service of treating obesity-related illnesses is estimated at £500million a year. Obesity, which is blamed for 30,000 deaths a year, is thought to cost the wider economy £2billion annually.

Alarmingly, overweight children as young as five are already showing early warning signs of heart disease.

Doctors have diagnosed a form of diabetes normally seen in overweight middleaged people in children as young as 13.